Via Jack Tiernan: Roy Jones Jr says the key to victory for Anthony Joshua in his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk is for him to start faster and not give up prematurely like he did last September in a unanimous decision loss in the US. round 12.
Jones Jr believes former IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) will beat Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) if he starts quickly and doesn’t give up in the first three rounds precedent of their war. at the Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium in London, England.
According to Jones, when Joshua started fighting hard, he won “a lot of rounds” against Usyk. So for AJ to beat Usyk in the rematch, he just needs to start fast and win.
Jones’ theory on what Joshua needs to do in the rematch sounds identical to that of AJ promoter Eddie Hearn, who believes all he needs to do is fighting aggressively from the start, and he will defeat Usyk for the second time.
It would be a good idea if Joshua had enough fitness and strength to fight Usyk soon, but unfortunately, he lacks both in those areas.
In that case Joshua would be a fool if he followed Jones and Hearn’s game plan of a quick start against Usyk because he would be empty in the third round and would be easy prey. afterward.
There is absolutely no doubt in Hearn’s mind that Joshua will beat Usyk in the rematch, and that is why the British promoter is so keen on the idea of him going in a second bout. immediately instead of doing the smart thing by stepping aside.
Joshua has to start faster
“I think that’s a good thing for Joshua if he wants to buy more time to better yourself; that’s a good thing,” said Roy Jones Jr. talk to iFL TV when asked about the possibility that Joshua could step aside for Tyson Fury to fight Oleksandr Usyk.
“If he [Joshua] doesn’t want to buy more time to improve himself, which is not a good thing because if Usyk happens to beat Fury, Usyk will be more confident than last timeJones said.
“So sometimes putting money aside is not the best thing. For a guy like Joshua, money has nothing to do with it. He doesn’t need the money. But if he’s doing it to allow himself to be more complete, it’s a very smart idea.
“What he has to do is get smarter, start faster. For me, if he had started faster in that fight, he would have won the match because it didn’t look like he was completely eliminated,” Jones Jr said of Joshua’s loss to Usyk last September. . “He waited too long before starting.
“When he started, he won a lot of rounds, but he started late and skipped the first three innings. You can’t do that with a boxer like Usyk, who’s basically a boxer.
“He doesn’t want to knock you down. He’s looking to send you a letter, pointing you out. If you give him the first three rounds, he’s already won the fight.
“All he had to do was survive and win here and there, and he’s good, and that’s what happened,” Jones said when explaining what happened to Joshua in lost to Oleksandr on 25 September at Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium in London.
Lots of great battles
“There are big wars out there. You can put [Deontay] Wilder in the ring with anyone, and it was a good fight,” Jones said. You can put Andy Ruiz in there with pretty much everyone, and it’s a good fight. And you can get a lot of people together, and that makes for a good fight.
“What I like most about the whole tournament is that the champions, the two major champions, are both boxers. They’re not the best boxers, but they’re pretty good boxers who can punch enough.
“So I love that because usually the heavyweights are just boxers. Now we have boxers and fighters, which makes for a lot of great fights,” Jones Jr. said in today’s heavyweight finals.
Some big fights involving Andy Ruiz, Frank Sanchez, Deontay Wilder, Filip Hrgovic, Jared Anderson, Daniel Dubois and Joe Joyce are possible. The issue is whether those heavyweights will fight each other, and that’s the sad part.
For example, as we saw when former IBF/WBA/WBO champion Andy Ruiz Jr safetyed out against Chris Arreola, 40 years old is more of a high-ranking opponent that would see him return to challenger position for a world title.
Tyson Fury vs. Dillian Whyte: Boxer vs.
“I think it’s one of the greatest things that can happen to the sport of boxing, especially in the heavyweight category right now,” Jones Jr said in response to the WBC’s request for the heavyweight champion. Tyson Fury must defend against his mandatory Dillian. Whyte next.
“Fights like that are the fights we want to see — classic boxer versus classic boxer. Dillian Whyte is definitely a puncher, and Fury is definitely a classic boxer who can also punch. So it makes for a very enjoyable night,” said Jones Jr.
Whyte is a good slugger, but he’s just slightly ahead of Dereck Chisora 2.0, especially now. Dillian is basically a clone of Chisora and has a lot of trouble for him.
The knock-out loss that Whyte suffered to 41-year-old Alexander Povetkin last year was not an accident. Whyte can’t take a punch, and he’s easy to hit.
Whyte needs to up his game
While Fury isn’t a huge puncher, if he can land as many shots in Whyte’s chin as the cruiser Mariusz Wach did during their fight in December 2019, he’ll knock him down. me, especially if the Gypsy King hits him in the back as he has done many times with Wilder.
WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury (31-0-1, 22 KOs) has proven himself adept at dealing with boxers in previous fights with Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder Dereck Chisora, and in to some extent Steve Cunningham.
With Fury being ordered by the World Boxing Council to defend against mandatory Whyte (28-2, 19 KOs), this may not be the exciting encounter that Roy and some fans believe it will be. takes place.
Whyte is pretty basic and nimble, and it won’t be hard for Fury’s trainer Sugarhill Steward to come up with a game plan to beat Whyte and potentially take him down.
At this point, it’s still too early to tell if Fury will fight Whyte. Joshua could surprise fans by suddenly agreeing to step aside to let Fury and Usyk compete for the undisputed championship in the weight division.
Joshua knew what he would lose if he was defeated by Usyk a second time. AJ could lose everything if he is beaten for the second time by Oleksandr in early 2022.
Not only will Joshua lose his $100 million payday for a fight with Fury, but his career will go up in smoke.
